Pinterest Acquires the Talented Team That Built Flesky

On June 15, 2016 Pinterest acquired Flesky Inc., the team that built one of the most popular custom keyboards available for Android and iOS.

Flesky is a San Francisco based company that raised $6 million from investors in 2011. Flesky started off as an iPhone and iPad app for the blind community to help with their typing and texting. However, it was later expanded to both Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android devices with the intent of helping users improve their speed, accuracy, and allow for keyboard customization.

Keep in mind; however, this is not a total product acquisition. Apparently Flesky’s technology isn’t part of the deal. Pinterest seems to be more interested in the people behind the technology, as half of the team will be integrated into Pinterest’s product engineering team. The Fleksy app will continue to run with minimal updates for now.

Customized smart keyboards are great for learning how people type and use their phone, allowing the app creators to achieve certain level of data analysis. Following this acquisition, Pinterest and Flesky will open source the technology components of the app that aid the blind and visually impaired.

Pinterest claims that Flesky’s keyboard has been downloaded on more than 12 million devices.

Pinterest hopes to refine the mobile experience for its users, allowing them to easily navigate ideas and images on all devices.